"HARD BITE is outlandish in every way—a crazed noir excursion into an
unprecedented heart of darkness. From the opening line on, it challenges and
confronts, attacks and confounds. Violent and sometimes funny, always
entertaining." — T. Jefferson Parker, three-time Edgar Award winner, author
of THE JAGUAR and THE BORDER LORDS
The hit-and-run driver took
everything—his wife, child and legs. Now a paraplegic, Dean Drayhart unleashes
payback on suspected hit-and-runners in Los Angeles with helper-monkey Sid as
his deadly assistant. Dean's gentle, doting nurse knows nothing about what he's
up to and when Sid tears out the throat of a Mexican Mafia member, Marcie gets
kidnapped in order to force Dean's surrender. Armed with nothing but his wits,
Sid, and a sympathetic streetwalker named Cinda, Dean manipulates drug-cartel
carnales and the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department in a David-against-Goliath
plot that twists and turns to a heart-pounding finale.
MOONDOVER OVER THE MEKONG: stories of guns, gambling, girls and general mayhem
that redraw the borders of crime. This globe-spanning collection rockets you
from dirt-road trailer parks to the slums of Bangkok, the gangster underbelly of
Tokyo to a postapocalyptic Old West. There's girls on the run from Russian
mobsters in the sex capital of Asia while a retiring crank cooker's ill-gotten
fortune goes up for grabs on a Wyoming backroad. And a whole lot of territory in
between. These ain't your typical crime stories.
"Spanning the slums from Thailand to Wyoming,
Moondog embraces the plight of the downtrodden as it exposes an underworld
seldom seen. These are the stories of the beaten-down and betrayed who have been
pushed to the brink, the street urchins and mob underlings who claw and scrape
and fight like hell when presented with a way out; and Merrigan captures these
liminal moments with blinding lucidity, and in the process pulls off the nearly
impossible: extracting hope from what was once hopeless." -- Joe Clifford,
author of CHOICE CUTS and WAKE THE UNDERTAKER
"A dagger in the guts and a
jaunt through the back alleys of Southeast Asia. Where else can you get both for
$2.99?" -- Jake Needham, author of KILLING PLATO and other best-selling Asian
crime novels.
Ian Truman was born
in Montreal, Quebec, in a French-Canadian family. His dad is a welder; his mom
is an office clerk. How he ended up studying English and creative writing is
still somewhat of a mystery. He still lives in Montreal with his spouse Mary and his
daughter Kaori. Website: www.iantruman.wordpress.com
Can you sum up Tales
Of Lust, Hate And Despair in no more than 25 words?
It’s a realistic story about a group of underdogs who
can’t seem to escape their situation. It’s gritty, sexy and violent. AKA, a
hard-boiled novel.
What's unique about
it?
I guess there are a few things that will set it apart from what we could
call the “generic” mystery novel. The plot’s not linear, which, of course is
nothing new to literature, but as far as I know, it is not something you see
all that often in mystery. (Maybe I’m wrong.)
The second thing that makes it unique I guess is the tone. I am a huge
fan of hardcore music, and if you know a little bit about it, then you know
that it is not only heavy and straightforward, but also incredibly smart, with
sharp lyrics. Of course there are a lot of horrible bands in hardcore, but
those I like have been an inspiration to me. My style has been described as low
key and raw. I like realist depictions, regardless of what I try to write. For
example, the violent moments in Tales are
not overdone, the protagonists are not super-heroes. You know? That one blow can leave you on the ground.
The third thing that is unique about it is the location. A lot of
mystery novels take place in New-York, LA, Washington or London. I don’t know
anything about these cities, so why would I write about them. Ottawa
(our capital) would have been far too boring of a town to write about, so I
figured, “Why not write about Montreal?”
I know the city very intimately and I used this to great extent in the novel.
What have you
done/are you doing to market it?
Everything I can.
I did a blog tour launch and worked the social networks as much as I
could. The only problem was that the company I used to book the tour was mostly
specialised in YA and romance. The work was very professional and the reviewers
did take the time to give a proper review, but my novel is a heavy hard-boiled
novel and I guess it was kind of an odd match.
Aside from that I am (still) building my social networks. I am from a
working class family and we’ve had computers for as long as I can remember, but
for the longest time, I believed that using Facebook and Twitter was the worst
use of my free time imaginable. Things have changed nowadays. So I started my
social networks from scratch and I am slowly building it up. I started a blog
and try to do as many guest posts as I can. I also go to as many artistic and
literary events as possible (book fairs, zine fests, theatre evenings, etc…) I
printed a few paper copies of my novel to sell at these events. I don’t expect
to make much money out of them, but I am still setting the foundation for my
career so I’m not worried.
What are your
expectations for the book?
Enough sales for a house on the lake, a downtown condo and enough money
to finish all the tattoos I’ve ever wanted to have. What else would you expect?
Nah! Seriously. I really use the novel as a business card. Of course,
sales and money would be nice (I like to eat as much as the next human) but for
now I am really trying to get my name out there, maybe score a good publishing
contract.
For a while, I felt like, “fuck agents and publishing houses,” but as I
grow and as my knowledge of the industry is increasing, I figured that it’s not
necessarily about agents or publishing house, but more about deals and
contracts. If ever I get a deal that is to my advantage, I have learned from
poverty that I sure as shit am going to take it. This is why I wanted Tales to look professional, so that people
would take me and my work seriously.
What did you learn
while writing it?
I have learned that I know so very little about the English language (I’m
not kidding.) Seriously, I am from a French-Canadian family and I grew up in
Montreal, so I grew up speaking English as much as anybody else in this city,
but when I decided to write novels in English (actually, I write in both
English and French but that is besides the point) it was a steep hill. I did
the classes but I will be honest, I still need the help of good editors, so I
tried to stay in touch with two persons from my writing classes at ConcordiaUniversity. They agreed to be hired as
editors for Tales which made the
novel a much, much better novel. (Their names are Sarah Needles and Alex
Manley).
Do you bear the
reader in mind when you're writing? If so, how does that affect the way you
write?
I’d like to think that I’m writing for the working and middle class. I don’t
know if that has any implication in terms of the language I use. My English is
by no means high-English (or even literary English I would say). I don’t mind a
swear and a slur, that’s just how I speak. But as far as “how the reader affects
the way I write,” I guess that I want to write something that the “proles” will
either relate to or enjoy reading.
How important is
talent?
I will refer prospective writers to a poem by Charles Bukowski, “So You
Want to Be a Writer.”
Basically, if it’s not in you, do something else. There are plenty of
professions out there that will satisfy almost anyone. A writer’s talent is
based on how well he/she can adapt a certain vision of reality, transforming it
into a compelling story. Talent is necessary.
This might sound arrogant, but be reminded that any sport, art form, business
or craft requires talent. My dad is a very good welder; my father-in-law is a
very good carpenter. These kinds of crafts weren’t in me just like it wasn’t in
me to play drums as well as Dave Lombardo from Slayer. That doesn’t make their
talent less important than mine because I’m a so-called “author.” Writing is
something that came naturally to me, so I ran with it. There’s nothing else to
it.
Provide a youtube
link to a song you'd like to be the title track to the movie adaptation of your
book.
Granted, this would be used for the end credits, but I will admit I
actually wrote and paced the final scene of the novel so that a visual
adaptation would fit perfectly with this song. (Fear And Sickness by Neurosis.)
Who would you like
to direct the film adaptation?
I would like to do it myself. Given a minimal budget and a bit of free
time, which really is just money in another form, I would be filming right now.
I took the liberty of imagining the cast and crew of the movie. If I had it my
way, Sage Francis would play the Biker, Ian McFarland (of Blood for Blood)
would be the DOP, Mike Ness would appear as the signer in the club. Oddly
enough, I still have no clue as to who would play Sam, Josie or Alice (the
three main characters).
What's the worst
piece of craft advice you've heard?
“You really should find yourself a real
career and just write as a hobby. That’s what it is anyway, isn’t it?”
To what extent do
you view writing a business?
I take the business side of writing very seriously. Maybe it’s my
background, but I literally can’t afford not to take it that way. By no means
would I consider myself poor in terms of worldwide poverty, but I am still well
below the average Canadian income.
I first started writing novels when my hardcore band broke off a few
years ago. I had too much debt, a shitty job and a crappy apartment, so I had
no money to tour (in fact, I sold my fender guitar to pay the rent.) A few
weeks later, someone broke into my apartment and stole everything I owned. (I
was living in Hochelaga, which is/was arguably not the nicest part of town.) It
was not the best time in my life.
So basically, I started writing novels because it was cheap. I bought an
old computer for $35 and a screen for $10 and started typing. I was also happy
that it could run Civilization II (I’m not kidding). That was seven years ago.
I have since found a better job and a good woman, but when you were force to
pick up loose change in your couch to buy a “no name” can of peas for supper,
that teaches you a hard lesson about life and finances.
Begging and stealing was not my thing, so I worked harder. I promised
myself I would never be hungry again and I intend to keep that promise so it’s
is no secret that I want to make a living out of this.
Put these in order
of importance: language, character, plot, money.
Character, Plot, Money, Language. Yes! Language is last. Dead last in
fact. The proper workings and appropriate grammar of the English language are
not as important to me as the tone of the characters, the story I’m telling, the
local accents, words and flavour of the different origins or cultural
background my characters have, etc…
Which writer do you
most admire?
I would have to say David Fennario. He is a playwright from working
class Montreal,
and I would put him way up there with Beckett in terms of talent. Of course,
they have a very different style, but the quality of Fennario’s writing is
inspiring to me. I mostly know his early work so I would recommend you look for
“Nothing to Lose”, “On The Job” and “Balconville.”
What do you do when
you're not writing?
I work full time and I have a young daughter. So I pick up a lot of
clothes, do a lot of dishes, go to the park. I don’t write nearly as much as I
would enjoy to, but when I do it is appreciated so it keeps it interesting. Aside
from that, there are a few videogames that I like to play. I train at the gym
when I can. I keep busy.
How much time do you
dedicate to writing? How much time would you like to spend writing?
I try to write an hour a day, regardless if it is a blog, promotion,
interview or novel. That is sincerely as much as I can write on a daily basis.
If the week goes well, I’ll have two or three hours on a Sunday when my
daughter is taking her nap so I can drive home something like 1800 to 2000
words in a small burst. I don’t think I could top more than that per day even
if I didn’t have to work on the side. Maybe (maybe) 3000 words a day, but that
would mean I could put out a full size novel every two months or something.
How much time do you
dedicate to promotion?
The upkeep on my social networks is something like half an hour a day.
It can be more if I write blogs or interviews, but I take that as “writing” as
well, given my schedule. I really do prefer events to online media, but these
are more occasional.
What was the last
book you bought and how did you find out about it?
I just picked up this thing called “Dog Blood” on my lunch hour by
author David Moody. It was in the bargain bin and it had blood on the cover,
that’s how I found it. So far it’s not disappointing.
What are your
ambitions for the next year?
If I could have an agent or a publishing deal by Christmas, that would
be nice, otherwise I just keep working, keep doing interviews and keep writing.
I am 42000 words into my third novel and I wanted to finish the first draft
around October so that I have enough time to do a re-write before I ask any
colleagues to take a look at it during the Christmas brake.
What are your
long-term ambitions?
I think that three books every two years is possible. I really want to
make a living out of this. Hopefully, I’d make enough money to support myself.
I also carry this idea in the back of my head to re-open this thing
called “L’x room” which was a youth-oriented community centre in downtown Montreal. It closed down
a few years ago and since I spent most of my young adult weekends there, (the
place literally saved me from killing myself when I was 18) I wish I could
organize something similar.
Do you write outside
of the crime genre? If not, would you like to?
Yes I do. My third novel, “A Teenage Suicide” is far from being a crime
novel. It’s not a YA novel either. I don’t know yet how to categorise it beyond
“Literature” but I really like it. I apply the same kind of tone, descriptions
and dialogue to the novel as I would to a crime piece, but it was a somewhat
different topic that was close to my heart so I really wanted to get it down on
paper. I like crime and noir as much as the next guy, but every now and then, I
feel like I got to do something else.
Where do you write?
In my bed (I have no office), on the city bus, in the metro (subway), at
work etc… most of the grunt work is done at a local café because it is the only
place I can have a table to myself. I would get absolutely no work done without
a laptop. We share a two bedroom apartment me, my wife and kid (plus two cats),
and we have absolutely everything we need, (including a playstation and a large
television) unfortunately, we are both, Mary (a visual artist) and I,
absolutely short on workspace.
Do you have any
other projects on the go?
Oh! Yeah! I have plans for my next three novels. As I mentioned earlier,
I am in the writing phase for “A Teenage Suicide.” I also plotted out most of my
next crime novel, “Memoirs of a Hitman.” And my fifth novel, “Glory Days” will
be about a bunch of hardcore kids from Notre-Dame-De-Grace here in Montreal.
I’ve got this collection of Bukowskian poems I’ve been writing and
losing here and there. There was a day when I wanted to put them into a book
and call it “Waiting to Die.” I haven’t done it so far.
Also, if you are from Montreal
(or around) and theatre is one of your candy. Me and my wife organize a yearly
event with MainLine Theatre called, “The Mainline Gala for Student Drama.” which
gives students of the dramatic arts a chance to perform in a real theatre. This
way they can have this “industry experience” that is so fucking necessary to
get any sort of grant here in Canada.
That’s pretty much it. If you managed to get through all of that, I am
both grateful and sorry.
